Park advocates are saying that our nations national parks are underfunded which is leaving many understaffed and in the need of a facelift. NBC’s Tom Costello reports.

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>>>memorial day
signals the kick-off for
tourist season
in the
national park system
. but from the shenandoah in the east to hawaii, visitors may discover the nation's
parks
are showing signs of wear and tear and are in real need of money and tlc. here's nbc's tom costello.

>> reporter: from
death valley
to glacier, yellowstone to the everglades, few places hold the nation's imagination and awe like its
national parks
.

>>especially getting young kids to come.

>>yes.

>>and make sure they know how important it is.

>> reporter: lying between maine and hawaii, 401
parks
and monuments, battlefields, volcanos, protected coasts make up the
national park system
. this year, they will host some visitors but for year it is
parks
have been underfunded. now some are in trouble.
dan kimball
runs
everglades national park
.

>>i'm concerned about restoring this place. that's our number one mission.

>> reporter: the
parks
service budget has been -- nows has lost another $153 million in the sequester. the backlog of work that needs to be done to maintain the
parks
now totals $11 billion. 900 park jobses have been unfilled including rangers. another 1,000 seasonal jobs have been cut.
park police
officers furloughed three days each until june 1. some park entrances go unmanned and facilities that need
work haven
't been touched in years. mark winsler is with the park conversation association. when americans bring families to the
parks
what will they find?

>>they may find a crumbling road, a
visitor center
that need as facelift. they may not find a ranger.

>> reporter: we need rangers.

>>we need rangers.

>> reporter: in three years the
parks
service will celebrate its
100th birthday
.
john jarvis
believes they should take note.

>>doesn't matter if you are a democrat or a republican. the american public love the
national parks
. the american public expect the
national parks
to be taken care of.

>> reporter: they are the envy of the world. an american treasure showing a little tarnish. tom costello, nbc news, yellowstone,
national park
.